Wind of Change
by NeverMineToHold
Summary: Naruto runs away again and Kakashi is fed up with certain rules for ANBU and little jinchuuriki...


Title: "Wind of Change"

Status: OneShot

Fandom: Naruto

Characters/Pairing: Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki

Disclaimer: Copyright Masashi Kishimoto; no copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Genre: friendship/family, AU, H/C, humor

Warnings: unbeta'ed, language

Summary: Naruto runs away again and Kakashi is fed up with certain rules for ANBU and jinchuuriki...

Note: Based on the theme prompt "winds of change."

Wind of Change

Kakashi crouched down before the fallen tree. Ants and yellow bugs crawled all over the moss-covered bark and the ground was soft with rotting leaves. Each breath he inhaled carried the smell of rich soil, damp wood and blooming flowers.

Something shifted within the hollowed out trunk, hints of orange and blonde poked through cracks, and Kakashi heard a sniffle. The staff of the orphanage had been tight-lipped as usual about what had happened to make the five-year-old run away.

Kakashi suspected that he wouldn't find out this time either, not with any signs of possible abuse healing within the hour, and Naruto being distrustful of most adults. Without evidence even the Hokage's hands were tied.

Kakashi gritted his teeth. Knowing that anger would do him no good, he pushed the emotion aside.

"Come out."

A puffy blue eye appeared at a larger gap in the bark, squinted in the sudden glare of sunlight and disappeared, back into the moldy darkness.

Kakashi heaved a sigh behind his mask. Sweat trickled down the nape of his neck and got soaked up in the padding underneath his armored flak jacket. He scratched the back of his head and stared into the trunk. A minute passed; the clearing was silent except for the buzz of insects.

What now? He refused to leave his sensei's son alone in Konoha's forest, even for the short time it would take him to fetch one of the caretakers. So - how did one go about coaxing a child out of hiding?

This was the exact reason Sandaime-sama had refused to let him take care of Naruto: Kakashi had not the first clue when it came to dealing with small children. And apparently he was still one himself by the councils double standards, never mind that he had started killing for his village long before he turned sixteen.

Another sniffle and hiccup, and the fine hairs on Kakashi's arms rose to stand on end at the sudden spill of Kyuubi chakra. It felt dark and viscous, like invisible pressure closing in from all sides. It brought memories of death and destruction to the surface, but used to keeping his cool, Kakashi quickly realized that the bijuu only reacted to Naruto's fear.

And why shouldn't a five-year-old be scared of a stranger, who had appeared at his hiding place out of nowhere, and wore a mask?

Kakashi settled down into the grass, cross-legged, and reached for it. Feeling the breeze on his face was a relief, one he was content enjoying. He had no problem with waiting Naruto out or indulging him when the little boy returned to his usual, hyper self.

Kakashi hummed a dissonant tune.

Not that Naruto even knew that Kakashi existed or how much he cared - strictly speaking, beyond providing protection, all ANBU were forbidden to interact with the young jinchuuriki in any way. It was a rule Kakashi ignored and fortunately, Sandaime-sama had so far taken it upon himself to deal with the fuming council whenever he overstepped the mark.

After a moment of deliberation, turning the red-painted porcelain over and scratching some dried blood off its beak, he put the karas mask on the back of his head, where it sat askew on his wind-blown hair. Maybe a child's curiosity would work in his favor...

It did.

The patter of small hands and knees on bark could be heard as Naruto inched closer to the hole to get a better look. He had seen adults around with animal mask's ever since he had been allowed to leave the house, but never had one taken it off.

Kakashi smiled at him, doing his best to appear non-threatening. His voice now sounded his age, young and less muffled, as he repeated, "Come on out, Naruto-chan."

A blonde head popped out of the opening, worries forgotten, and Kakashi was confronted with a dirty finger waving around right under his nose as little Naruto screeched in delight.

"Oi, you got a face!"

Kakashi gave him a blank look, taken aback and a little indignant by the boy's observation. "I would hope so."

He caught Naruto's hand in his before he was poked in the eye, careful not to exert too much pressure. He tugged lightly and Naruto tumbled into the grass before him with a roll; giggling.

It wasn't the reaction Kakashi had expected and he didn't quite like the instant trust or carefree behavior, but for now Naruto was just a kid and civilian, and that in times of peace. It could hardly compare to his own childhood experiences, a fact Kakashi was grateful for on second thought.

"You're a mess, Naruto-chan."

Kakashi plucked some leaves out of Naruto's hair, who seemed to neither mind nor really notice the additional search for injuries. He found none, as expected.

Naruto, for his part, decided that he liked the older boy. His hands were gentle, but big and strong, too. And he had that black spiral painted on his shoulder. Jiji had said it marked his ANBU, men and women he trusted.

"What's with your eye?" Naruto leaned close, with no care for personal space whatsoever, to inspect the scar running through the boy's left eye. It looked pretty bad. He chewed on his lip. "Are you hurt, nii-san?"

It was Kakashi's turn to avoid movement as a fingertip boldly traced the scar tissue. The close proximity made him uncomfortable at first as ingrained instincts kicked in, but Kakashi found himself relaxing under the gentle prodding.

"I'm fine."

Naruto plopped down again, eyes huge and blue and worried, as he stared up at the boy. Most adults, he had learned, were big fat liars. "Why don't you look with it if it's okay?"

"Maa...," Kakashi stretched the sound, wondering how to reply. "It's a secret."

"No fair!"

Naruto pouted. It looked less enraged than adorable, with his chubby, whisker-marked cheeks and the mess of blonde hair. The resemblance to Minato in one of his more goofy moments was enough to make Kakashi give in.

He opened his left eye, revealing his sharingan. The slightest trace of molded chakra lent it a vivid red color and sent the tomoe spinning lazily. Kakashi chuckled at Naruto's awe-struck expression.

"Cool!"

Remembering the first time his own father had shown him a jutsu, before that fateful mission and the war, Kakashi winked. "See? It's my super special ninja secret. So don't tell anyone. Alright?"

Naruto nodded solemnly. He already knew that ninja, those adults wearing a hitai-ate thingy or a mask, didn't like questions about their jutsu. Or their names, which was stupid, because he would have loved to ask. "I promise."

Kakashi kept the sharingan active a moment longer, using the opportunity to study the flow of chakra through Naruto's circulatory system. The kyuubi's chakra seemed to be diluted, mixing with the boys own. Interesting. So Minato-sensei had intended for his son to not only use but absorb it over time...

"Nee, Naruto-chan, what about you? Are you hurt? I thought I heard you crying."

Naruto bristled. "Oi, I'm a big boy, I don't bawl like a baby!"

"Ah, suman. My mistake," Kakashi said and reached over to ruffle Naruto's hair in an attempt to placate him, but it only made him sulk more.

Kakashi decided to drop the topic because he knew that Naruto had inherited Kushina's iron will and stubbornness, so prying wouldn't work. Besides, he had other means to find out the truth, and this time, with one team-mate injured, he would have no S-rank missions that took priority for at least a week.

Kakashi looked up to the sky. The clouds were bright orange and lined with purple; the sun low. "Let's get you home, alright?"

Naruto looked away and plucked some petals from a dandelion. "I don't wanna go back."

"I know," Kakashi muttered. He didn't like the idea either, but his hands were tied. He had standing orders where Naruto was concerned. "But you have to."

Naruto nodded. He tried to right the abused flower, but gave up quickly. "Alright."

Kakashi had an idea that might cheer him up. "Nee, Naruto-chan, how about I carry you on my back and we race through the trees? We can even jump over Konoha's rooftops."

"Really?!"

Kakashi, awe-inspiring ANBU, was left speechless as he was first pulled into the five-year-old equivalent of a bone crushing hug and then had said child crawling all over him to reach and settle on his back. He was suddenly very grateful that he had left his katana back at HQ.

"... I would have turned around and said 'get on' but..." Kakashi trailed off and Naruto snickered right into his ear, as small hands gripped his flak jacket tightly. "Ah, wait, I need my - " He didn't get to finish his sentence because a porcelain mask was smacked into his face with a cheerful, "Here, nii-san."

Kakashi let out a slow breath, rubbed his throbbing nose and re-adjusted the mask so that it covered his face the right way up. "...thank you."

Naruto beamed. "You're welcome!"

And as Kakashi raced back to Konoha, jumping from one tree to the next, spurred on by Naruto's demands to go faster and faster, Kakashi made a decision: he would speak with Sandaime-sama and renew his request to adopt Naruto.

The old geezer's of Konoha's council could bite him.

["_Screw the rules, I'm doing what's right!_" ~ TV Tropes]

The End

R&R

AN: I sat down to writer Sherlock fic... 0_0


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